The Military Issues & History Forum is a venue to discuss issues relating to the military aspects of the Indian Armed Forces, whether the past, present or future. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.

All the american deals we did cost a fortune in uptime based services and manuals, docs, training, spares etc

No much howls of protest

Our russian deals were not structured in this manner being done in poorer less uptime focussed times. When we invested more in the support system under Parrikar, the uptimes rose to satisfactory levels now

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian nuclear-powered submarine successfully test-fired four intercontinental ballistic missiles on Tuesday, the navy said.The navy said the submarine, named Yuri Dolgoruky after the medieval prince who founded Moscow, launched the Bulava missiles in a single salvo from a submerged position in the White Sea. The navy said the mock warheads the missiles carried reached their practice targets on the opposite side of Russia — the Kura shooting range on the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.The exercise marked the first simultaneous launch of four Bulava missiles, which can carry multiple nuclear warheads and has a range of up to 9,300 kilometers (about 5,770 miles.)The Bulava has been commissioned by the Russian navy after a long cycle of development. Russian officials said the missile has quicker start than its predecessors, helping it dodge missile defenses.The Yuri Dolgoruky is one of the three new Borei-class submarines the Russian navy has. Another five such submarines are under construction to gradually replace some of the older Soviet-built ones.

Arctic cross-country vehicles "Burlak", launched a serial production in Yekaterinburg

Burlak", launched a serial production in Yekaterinburg. It is planned that up to 12 cars per year will be produced in the Urals.

"Burlak" can be used in the economy, oil and gas industry, research and development, the state program for the development of the Arctic. The machines are in demand among customers, so now the main task is to adjust all the processes of the started mass production. It is supposed in parallel to assemble several machines in a basic design at once, "said the representative of the manufacturer.

the machine has powerful machine-gun armament, internal Kevlar armor, for special forces there are expensive chairs,The helicopter is designed for operations in the total absence of light, focusing only on the signals of infrared markers that are transmitted from the ground. All lighting equipment is adapted for night vision goggles.

[b]With little fanfare, Russia successfully used the S-500 surface-to-air missile system to hit a target 299 miles away, which is 50 miles further than any known test, CNBC reported.Moscow says that the system can intercept hypersonic missiles, drones and stealth warplanes like the F-22 and the F-35 and would allow it to destroy targets at near space range. The test used a modified version of the missile used in the S-300V4 surface-to-air system.]'Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier in May that he wanted to prepare the S-500 systems for mass production, giving Moscow the ability to engage multiple targets, state news agency TASS reported. ladimir Putin watches the Zapad-2017 war games, held by Russian and Belarussian servicemen, with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) and Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov (2nd R) . Russia has reportedly successfully test fired the S-500 surface-to-air missile. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERSHe also announced Moscow would modernize its strategic nuclear forces and rearm 14 regiments with the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile systems by the end of the year.The military display comes after U.S. intelligence experts said last week that Moscow will have the hypersonic glide vehicle called Avangard ready by 2020.Able to carry a nuclear warhead and glide at the top of the atmosphere, it is believed that no country can defend against it. CNBC reported that it had been successfully tested twice in 2016.Also this week, Russia’s ballistic missile submarine Yuri Dolgoruky tested four Bulava nuclear-capable missiles, unleashing them within 20 seconds. Russia’s Defence Ministry said that the test salvo on May 22 targeted the Kura shooting range on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Russia is to start delivery of 50 MIG-29s to a N.African country this year , Egypt the likely customer ($29M each) and 14 MI-26Ts, the world's largest helo to Algeria.If little Algeria can afford these huge monsters, why can't the IAF order more of the new upgraded 26Ts, which we sorely need in the mountains to support troops and carry heavy eqpt. for the BRO? Of the 26s with us, apparently only two fly and are to be upgraded.We need at least a do z. of these very capable birds which can even recover a downed Chinook (Afghanistan).

The Egyptian purchase of MIG-29s and more e5s to come later is a wise cost effective decision by gheir air force something that the IAF starved of numbers with little in the kitty could emulate.

Saar, I highly doubt there was a Arihant accident. A boat of that importance does not have even a simple alarm to tell you that a hatch is open when you dive? I find that whole story full of nonsense. There is something else to the story. But I do not want to know, because she (and her sisters) serve as India's strategic deterrent. As a Navy Commander once told me, Ignorance Is Bliss. I am happy in my ignorance

May the Arihant (and her sisters) sails the seas silently and do what she is designed to do. Shano Varuna!

The Russian KBP Instrument Design Bureau (Hall 4, Stand A401) is showing its latest-generation 9K333 Verba man-portable surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, which has been designed to engage aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles when they are on approach or receding. KBP claims the new missile outperforms earlier generation systems by 1.5 to 2 times, especially at ranges in excess of 3km.

The 9M336 missile in the 9P521 launcher has an advanced tri-mode passive homing seeker, which is said to have a counter-countermeasure capability against powerful pyrotechnical decoys 10 times higher. The 72mm diameter missile has a blast fragmentation warhead with impact and proximity fuzes. It can also be fitted with a night sight.

The prime contractor is quoting a target engagement range of from 500m up to 6,000m and against targets with an altitude from 10m up to 3,500m. The missile is also used with an 1L229V ground-based identification friend or foe interrogator, plus a full range of testing equipment and training aids.

Targets can be detected by a number of systems, including the tripod-mounted 1L122 lightweight surveillance radar or the 9S932-1 mobile radar system, which is mounted on the tracked Armoured Command and Reconnaissance Vehicle used for a wide range of battlefield missions by the Russian Army.

These would typically feed information to the 9S933 portable fire control module, which would allocate targets to the 9K333 Verba man-portable SAM system.

Rakesh wrote:Saar, I highly doubt there was a Arihant accident. A boat of that importance does not have even a simple alarm to tell you that a hatch is open when you dive? I find that whole story full of nonsense. There is something else to the story. But I do not want to know, because she (and her sisters) serve as India's strategic deterrent. As a Navy Commander once told me, Ignorance Is Bliss. I am happy in my ignorance

May the Arihant (and her sisters) sails the seas silently and do what she is designed to do. Shano Varuna!

Russia’s fearsome new S-500 air and missile defense system has apparently entered production—and is setting new records for missile engagement range.The next generation weapon is designed to supplement Moscow’s already potent S-400 and replace the A-135 anti-ballistic missile system. Not only does the weapon have unprecedented capability to hit high altitude targets—including ballistic missiles and satellites—at extremely long ranges, there have been some claims—usually from the media—that the system could target stealth aircraft. However, while some analysts believe that might be theoretically possible, there has been nothing to substantiate that claim. Indeed, according to U.S. defense sources, Moscow recently conducted a record-breaking test of the S-500 system at ranges that were previously thought to be impossible. According to a CNBC report citing U.S. intelligence officials, “the S-500 surface-to-air missile system successfully struck a target 299 miles away, which the U.S. assessed is 50 miles further than any known test.”The CNBC report suggests that the missile used to hit the target was a version of S-300V4’s long-range heavy NPO Novator 9M82MD missile, which has a range of 250 nautical miles and a speed of about Mach 7.5 (It also has light missile with a range of 80 nautical miles). However, it is more likely that the missile in question is a derivative of the 250 nautical mile range 40N6 missile used on the S-400—which has been reported in the Russian media. In either case, the fact remains that the S-500 has demonstrated exceptional capabilities.As Vladimir Karnozov at Aviation International News reported earlier this year, the S-500 uses several types of missiles. When used against air breathing targets, the S-500 can use the 48N6 family of missiles, which weight about two tons and have an effective range of up to 130 nm (240 kilometers). For longer-range targets, Karnozov reports that the system uses version of the 40N6 with higher performance. It also employ the shorter range and lighter weight 9M96 and 9M100 family missiles, which weigh 530 pounds (240 kg) and upwards.Against ballistic missile threats—and apparently with a secondary capability against air targets—the S-500 uses the 77N6-N and 77N6-N1 kinetic kill missiles. The missiles are capable of hitting their targets at 7 kilometers per second, which the Russians expect would be sufficient to destroy any incoming aerial target including satellites. It apparently has the capability to engage targets as high as 124 miles—or 200 km or 656,000 feet— at ranges of 324 nautical miles or 600km. It can engage as many as 10 incoming ballistic missiles simultaneously and has a response of less than 4 seconds.There are some reports that the S-500 can engage stealth aircraft including the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter or any other low observable platform for that matter. The Russians claim that the system can engage over the horizon and can be plugged into an air defense network—to include satellites.The S-500 will analyze information about a possible missile attack obtained by early warning satellites and over-the-horizon radars, such as the Voronezh, as well as select targets, in terms of their importance, cut off false targets at a great distance, accompany all this and finally issue target designations to various systems."Given the S-500’s advanced networking capabilities, some military analysts have suggested that the Russians might genuinely be able to engage stealth aircraft. Indeed, by networking multiple high-speed long wave radars such as the RLS Voronezh-DM and 1L119 Nebo SVU, it might be possible to generate a weapons quality track on an aircraft such as the F-22 or F-35. Sensor fusion has afforded militaries many capabilities that are greater than the sum of their part. This many be one such case.

A prototype of the all-composite aircraft STR-40DT will be shown at the end of the year

A prototype of the 19-seat all-composite aircraft STR-40DT, developed at the Siberian Scientific Research Institute of Aviation (SibNIA) named after SA Chaplygin, will be presented by the end of 2018. The aircraft will be adapted for the harsh conditions of the Russian North and can fly for a distance of up to 4000 km. This was toldTASS scientific supervisor of SibNIA Alexei Seryoznov.

"By the end of the year, we will demonstrate a prototype of a 19-seat aircraft, which will be adapted for Russian conditions, and its service will be no more than $ 250 per hour, like a similar US airplane." Now the world's aircraft maintenance costs about $ 1,500 per hour, "said he.

Seriousov specified that the class of 19-seat aircraft in Russia has not yet been submitted. According to him, such a plane will be in demand for the northern regions of the country, for example, in Yakutia. "Now Canadian planes fly there, our plane will be able to travel long distances and will be more suitable for flights in the cold," he added.

"Aviation of Russia" has already talked about a new aircraft, which is being developed in SibNIA on the basis of a Soviet light jet for local airlines Yak-40. Work on the all-composite aircraft STR-40DT with capacity for 19 seats began in 2013 at the request of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia within the framework of the Federal Target Program "Development of Civil Aviation Equipment in Russia for 2002-2010 and for the Period until 2015".

STR-40DT will completely repeat the aerodynamic scheme of its predecessor: it is a twin-engine, all-composite, monoplane with a trapezoidal wing, a T-shaped tail unit with a significant excess over the fuselage. The Yak-40 wing has an elongation of 8.93 and a span of 25 m. Obviously, the new integral-wing wing will have a much longer elongation, so that it is possible to fly over long distances - up to 4000 km.

The developed aircraft is a demonstrator of the capabilities of polymer composite materials technologies when used in light turbojet passenger aircraft at high flight speeds (600-700 km / h). In the framework of the state order, the Institute carried out studies of PKM technologies in aircraft construction, allowing 2-3 times to increase the productivity of new aircraft and to reduce the cost of their production by 50%. Obtained demonstrators are a by-product not intended for commercial use. They only confirm the possibility of developing and constructing a fully composite production vehicle with the required flight characteristics, as well as characteristics of strength and economic efficiency.

Rakesh wrote:Saar, I highly doubt there was a Arihant accident. A boat of that importance does not have even a simple alarm to tell you that a hatch is open when you dive? I find that whole story full of nonsense. There is something else to the story. But I do not want to know, because she (and her sisters) serve as India's strategic deterrent. As a Navy Commander once told me, Ignorance Is Bliss. I am happy in my ignorance

May the Arihant (and her sisters) sails the seas silently and do what she is designed to do. Shano Varuna!

+108.

The accident story was just too pat.

Agreed Admiral and Chetak. Its like Il-76 taking off from Chandigarh, and "oh yeah Kartik, Darwaza band kar de yaar, Thand Lag Rahee Hai"

The Aviadvigatel PD-35 is Russia’s next generation airline jet engine. With a projected budget of 160 billion rubles ($2.6 billion) development of the engine is expected for completion in the next 5 years, and additive manufacturing (or additive technology) is tipped to be an important part of the plan.

For the engine’s development, Russian commercial aircraft developer and builder Aviadvigatel is working with gas turbine manufacturer ODK-Saturn – a company home to the state-funded Additive Technology Center.

A United project

PD-35 development is funded in part by the United Engine Corporation (UEC), a member of Russian state corporation Rostec, and China’s AECC Commercial Aircraft Engine Co.

From 2019 onwards, the United Engine Corporation also expects that additive technologies will be integrated in certified gas turbine engines.

So far, the UEC has allocated 64.3 billion rubles ($1.13 billion) in state funding for PD-35 research and development.

Metal 3D printed component. Photo via United Engine Corporation

Additive manufacturing is “the only solution”

Topology optimization, i.e. lightweighting parts to reduce the cost but maximize the strength, is a key part of next generation engine development at ODK-Saturn. According to Denis Fedoseyev, deputy chief engineer at ODK-Saturn, “In many cases of topology optimization, additive technologies are the only solution for production of complex-profile parts.”

So far, ODK-Saturn has leveraged topology optimization and metal 3D printing techniques to make small and complex components including brackets, mechanical elements and components used inside combustion chambers.

Additive applications for the PD-35 were gleaned from the design for the Aviadvigatel PD-14 civil aircraft engine, scheduled for flight tests running 2019 through 2021.

ODK-Saturn workshop. Photo via United Engine Corporation

An international competition

I line with the aims of the PD-35 project, at the All-Russian Research Institute for Aircraft Materials (VIAM) additive manufacturing was used to make a combustion chamber within 5 days, a project that would typically take around 4 months to complete.

VIAM’s general director Evgeny Kablov says, “The world now competes who will reach ideal parameters in engines. The competitiveness depends on weight, performance and design effectiveness.”

Indeed, GE has had marked success with additive manufacturing for turbines in the West. A third of the parts in its Advanced Turboprop (ATP) Engine are now 3D printed, and the 3D printing enabled LEAP engine generated $27 billion in sales at the 2017 Paris Air Show.

Kablov concludes, “[Additive technologies] helps to resolve at once issues of materials, technology and design. And all that should be integrated decisively, at development stage.”

Rostec State Corporation is also developing a UEC Based Additive Technologies Center in association with the administration of Gyeonggi province, South Korea.

Vote for aerospace or automotive application of the year in the 2018 3D Printing Industry Awards.

Be the first to read the latest developments in additive manufacturing. Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Over 100 3D printing jobs are now waiting for you. Join our 3D printing jobs service for the latest vacancies in software, hardware and materials.

The development of the fifth-generation submarine in Russia was declared on December 16, 2014. Initially, the Malakhit bureau worked on the project as an initiative. On March 17, 2016, the code of the submarine was disclosed, Husky. On August 8, 2016, the Defense Ministry signed a contract to develop this nuclear submarine, the Izvestia newspaper reports.

Russias Malakhit Design Bureau Husky Submarine Preliminary DesignIn April 2018, a concept of the USC submarine emerged on the occasion of the Malakhit bureau’s 70th anniversary. This concept features, in the nose portion, a module with Kalibr or similar missiles along with eight mounting seats for modules in the central part. On the sides are hydroacoustic system antennas. A jet propeller serves as a propulsive unit.

On May 22, 2018, Aleksey Rakhmanov, the head of the USC, said in an interview to Izvestia about completion of the conceptual stage in designing the fifth-generation submarine. For obvious reasons the military does not reveal details, but by now sufficient information is already available for defining the boat’s general concept.

First off, it will be built based on the modular system. The Russian Navy will get a basic underwater platform with a nuclear reactor and a propulsive system, defense equipment and command post. Provisions are made in the central part of the boat for placing various modules.

Depending on filling with them, the boat can be converted to a strategic missile or multi-role attack submarine. The modules’ main armament will be Tsirkon hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile and a new intercontinental ballistic missile. The supporting weapon systems will be Kalibr and Oniks missile systems plus various mine and torpedo armament. Such modularity will enable Russia to pass on to a single type of a nuclear submarine and significantly economize by reducing the number of combat modules and personnel strength.

Given that not all submarines are simultaneously in service, the number of modules and crews to operate them can be less than the number of boats. For example, there are eight submarines for which, however, six module packages and six crews will suffice. Obviously, at all times one or two boats are under repair or used for combat training not involving combat modules.

The reduction of crew numbers will save a great deal of wage fund of submariners, one of the highest paid categories of servicemen.

The submarines Husky will get new torpedo tubes that will use water for launching munitions, while torpedoes themselves and other types of weapons can be launched from a depth of up to 1 km. The submarine will use a wide variety of underwater unmanned autonomous vehicles as well unmanned flying vehicles. The submarine’s noise absorbing rubberized coating will be replaced with a multiple layer of composite materials. Made from those will be hulk coatings, nose and aft rudders, stabilizers, superstructure enclosure, propellers, and shaft lines. The use of titanium alloys is also very likely, testifying to which is the possible diving depth of the submarine (up to 1 km) and its service life.

The chief asset of the submarine, its stealth, is at least twice that of the existing analogues. The noise level will be at the level of the world’s oceans. The boat’s level coinciding with that of the sea is believed to be an optimum for its stealth.

The submarine displacement will be around 12,000 tons. It will get the newest combat information control system and hydroacoustic complex and will be integrated in Russian armed forces’ single information space.In April 2018, a concept of the USC submarine emerged in the Internet on the occasion of the Malakhit bureau’s 70th anniversary. This concept features, in the nose portion, a module with Kalibr or similar missiles along with eight mounting seats for modules in the central part. On the sides are hydroacoustic system antennas. A jet propeller serves as a propulsive unit. Thus by the end of the next decade Russia may deploy a principally new submarine that outperforms all the foreign counterparts, says the Izvestia newspaper.

Earlier in October, Russian marksman Andrei Ryabinski reportedly set a new world record after hitting a 1-metre square target placed at 4,210 metres (13,812 feet) away. It is said to have taken some 13 seconds for the bullet to reach its target.

Founder of the Russian arms manufacturer, Vladislav Lobaev, noted that the arms manufacturer "had to increase the muzzle velocity from from 930 metres per second [3348 kilometres per hour] to 1,000 metres per second [3600 kilometres per hour]," adding that "this is actually a very serious velocity for that caliber. The bullet weighing 28 grammes [0,06 pounds] was developed and made by our company and is heavier than the standard 408 Chey Tac."

Russia is implementing an ambitious program to develop hypersonic weapons, which enjoys strong government support. This is evident from the annual message of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Federal Assembly on March 1, in which he disclosed details of a number of new strategic systems, including the hypersonic strategic complex Avangard, experts say Jane's.

Putin presented these weapons systems, including Avangard, in the context of the US missile defense system. Claiming that the US is creating a global missile defense system, uncontrolledly increasing the number of missiles, improving their qualitative characteristics, forming new positional areas, Putin believes that ultimately this could lead to a complete depreciation of Russia's nuclear potential, and therefore Russia should increase the shock capabilities their strategic forces to overcome the PRO.

"Vanguard" is probably a new name for the previously known Russian project 4202, or hypersonic planning device Yu-71, experts say Jane's. According to the president of the Russian Federation, Avangard is a project of a strategic-purpose complex with an ICBM equipped with a GPU, which in Russia is called the planning hypersonic winged combat unit (BB). The BB is capable of flying in dense layers of the atmosphere at a hypersonic speed corresponding to the number M = 20, maneuvering at the rate and height, overcoming any missile defense. Such flight conditions - dense layers of the atmosphere and hypersonic speed - create around the BB a shell of plasma, which causes the temperature on the surface of the apparatus to be 2000 degrees Celsius.

The possibilities of the "Vanguard" were illustrated by the video presented during the speech by Putin, created with the use of computer graphics. As explained by the president of the Russian Federation, the device shown in the video is not real. At the same time, when evaluating the presented computerized personnel, it can be understood that this will be a typical project of the system with the characteristics of the "Vanguard". Considering the history of the U-71 tests, it becomes clear that Russia is actively advancing in the development of hypersonic weapons, Jane's concludes.

According to its design, GPA, shown in a computer video, is a wedge-shaped glider with the design of a smooth transition from the wing to the fuselage, often called a wavelet. As part of the demonstration video, one could see the separation of the planning hypersonic winged BB from the accelerator before maneuvering approach to the target. Also on video frames were four control surfaces located in the tail part of the device: two - on the upper part of the fuselage and two fuselage brakes.

It is likely that the launch of the BB complex Avangard will be carried out with the help of a new Russian heavy ICBM Sarmat, suggest Jane's experts. However, in his address to the Federal Assembly, Putin said that the complex is compatible with the Russian systems, suggesting that the first carriers of the hypersonic planning blocks of the Avangard complex will be Soviet-made intercontinental ballistic missiles UR-100N UTTKh (RS-18A - under the START Treaty ; SS-19 Stilett - according to NATO classification).

According to the available estimates, the Sarmat ICBM range of 11,000 km, combined with a range of 10 to 71 km, will provide a maximum strike range of more than 20,000 km. Previously, Russia's activities to develop prospective hypersonic weapons were concentrated around the project Yu-71/4202. Then they were transformed into other projects, including the creation of the second prototype U-74, which was launched in 2016 from the Russian cosmodrome Yasny, located on the territory of the positioning area of ​​the Strategic Missile Force "Dombarovsky" in the Yasnensky district of the Orenburg region, and struck a conditional target at the Kura test site in the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Modern activities of Russia in the field of hypersound could begin in 2001, Jane's experts say, when the UR-100N UTTX ICBMs were tested, possibly with a planning GPU. The first tests of the Yu-71 facility in the framework of Project 4202 were held in 2011. Before the tests of the U-74 in April 2016, several more tests were carried out by Yu-71. Then they were transformed into other projects, including the creation of the second prototype U-74, which was launched in 2016 from the Russian cosmodrome Yasny, located on the territory of the positioning area of ​​the Strategic Missile Force "Dombarovsky" in the Yasnensky district of the Orenburg region, and struck a conditional target at the Kura test site in the Kamchatka Peninsula. Modern activities of Russia in the field of hypersound could begin in 2001, Jane's experts say, when the UR-100N UTTC ICBMs were tested, possibly with a planning GPU. The first tests of the Yu-71 facility in the framework of Project 4202 were held in 2011. Before the tests of the U-74 in April 2016, several more tests were carried out by Yu-71. Then they were transformed into other projects, including the creation of the second prototype U-74, which was launched in 2016 from the Russian cosmodrome Yasny, located on the territory of the positioning area of ​​the Strategic Missile Force "Dombarovsky" in the Yasnensky district of the Orenburg region, and struck a conditional target at the Kura test site in the Kamchatka Peninsula. Modern activities of Russia in the field of hypersound could begin in 2001, Jane's experts say, when the UR-100N UTTX ICBMs were tested, possibly with a planning GPU. The first tests of the Yu-71 facility in the framework of Project 4202 were held in 2011. Before the tests of the U-74 in April 2016, several more tests were carried out by Yu-71. located on the territory of the positioning area of ​​the Strategic Missile Force "Dombarov" in the Yasnensky district of the Orenburg region, and struck a conventional target at the test site of the Kura in Kamchatka. Modern activities of Russia in the field of hypersound could begin in 2001, Jane's experts say, when the UR-100N UTTX ICBMs were tested, possibly with a planning GPU. The first tests of the Yu-71 facility in the framework of Project 4202 were held in 2011.

Before the tests of the U-74 in April 2016, several more tests were carried out by Yu-71. located on the territory of the positioning area of ​​the Strategic Missile Force "Dombarov" in the Yasnensky district of the Orenburg region, and struck a conventional target at the test site of the Kura in Kamchatka. Modern activities of Russia in the field of hypersound could begin in 2001, Jane's experts say, when the UR-100N UTTX ICBMs were tested, possibly with a planning GPU. The first tests of the Yu-71 facility in the framework of Project 4202 were held in 2011. Before the tests of the U-74 in April 2016, several more tests were carried out by Yu-71. in the composition with the planning GPA. The first tests of the Yu-71 facility in the framework of Project 4202 were held in 2011. Before the tests of the U-74 in April 2016, several more tests were carried out by Yu-71. in the composition with the planning GPA. The first tests of the Yu-71 facility in the framework of Project 4202 were held in 2011. Before the tests of the U-74 in April 2016, several more tests were carried out by Yu-71.

“System of air and missile defense of Moscow and the central industrial district is unique, there’s only one such system in the world. It’s able to automatically warn of a missile attack, detect all the means an adversary uses in time, and, moreover, effectively intercept all the specter of targets – from cruise to ballistic missiles,”

The unmanned spacecraft loaded with nearly three tons of supplies docked at the station in the automatic mode less than four hours.The faster manoeuvre became possible thanks to a new version of the Soyuz booster rocket, noting that it puts the ship into orbit with higher precision. (Photo: AP) The faster manoeuvre became possible thanks to a new version of the Soyuz booster rocket, noting that it puts the ship into orbit with higher precision. (Photo: AP)A Russian cargo ship delivered a fresh load of fuel, food, and other supplies for the International Space Station on Tuesday, making it in record time.

The Progress MS-09 lifted off as scheduled at 3:51 a.m. (2151 GMT; 5:51 p.m. EDT Monday) from the Russia-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The unmanned spacecraft loaded with nearly three tons of supplies docked at the station in the automatic mode less than four hours after the launch.

It marked the first time such a fast-track approach was used. In the past, it took the Progress ships up to two days to reach the space outpost.

Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said the faster manoeuvre became possible thanks to a new version of the Soyuz booster rocket, noting that it puts the ship into orbit with higher precision.

NASA said that the fast trip to the station was intended to test an expedited capability that could be used on future Russian cargo and crew launch missions.

“It’s a new achievement by our engineers,” Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin said on state television. He added that after being tested on unmanned Progress vehicles the new fast approach will also be used by manned Soyus spacecraft that deliver crews to the station.

Roscosmos first tried to use the new manoeuvre last year, but it was aborted for technical reasons.

Roscosmos director Dmitry Rogozin hailed the faster rendezvous as a “big step forward” in a call with a Russian crew on board the station after the docking.

Rogozin tweeted that the fast-track approach will be used in the future for assembling spacecraft in orbit for missions into deep space.

The station’s current crew includes NASA astronauts Drew Feustel, Ricky Arnold and Serena Aunon-Chancellor, a European Space Agency astronaut from Germany, Alexander Gerst, and Russians Oleg Artemyev and Sergey Prokopyev.

Key Points• Russia is developing anti-satellite (ASAT) systems that are designed to interfere with, ordestroy, satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).• This could reduce an adversary’s ability to collect sensitive intelligence, possibly forcing areliance on far less survivable collection systems such as airborne assets.• Ground- and air-launched direct-ascent ASAT systems under development increase the riskof space debris and catastrophic consequences for all users within those orbital bands.